Optics Daily · Thursday, October 15, 2026
opticsnews
Chip-scale optical ring laser gyroscope detects slow rotations of 37 degrees per hour
A chip-scale Brillouin ring laser gyroscope from a UCSB and Caltech team can detect rotations as slow as 37 degrees per hour and can be fabricated with CMOS processes; TDK showed a 150-nanometer-thick meta-optic reflector for retinal direct-projection glasses at CEATEC; Salience Labs raised funding to scale production of optical circuit switches, and Siloton secured £8.4 million to advance GiraffeOCT toward clinical use.
Technology & Research
Chip-Scale Optical Ring Laser Gyroscope Detects Slow Rotation of 37 Degrees per Hour
A team from UCSB and Caltech has published an account in Optics Letters of a chip-scale optical ring laser gyroscope capable of measuring rotations as slow as 37 degrees per hour, approaching Earth's rotation rate of 15 degrees per hour. The device is based on a low-noise Brillouin laser built on a silicon nitride waveguide photonic integrated circuit, can be fabricated with standard CMOS processes, and requires only milliwatt-level optical power. Its sensitivity is nearly 2,000 times better than the team's earlier device.
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AITDK Shows Meta-Optic Reflector for Retinal Projection Smart Glasses at CEATEC
TDK showcased at CEATEC an ultra-thin meta-optic reflector designed for retinal projection smart glasses. The prototype is monochrome green with 750p resolution and a 45-degree diagonal field of view. The reflector is just 150 nanometers thick and achieves 80% visible-light transmittance. TDK plans to launch a green version by the end of 2026, a full-color version in May 2027, and to begin mass production within a few years.
Industry & Capital
Photonic Chip Firm Salience Labs Raises £95 Million to Expand US Production
Salience Labs, a University of Oxford spin-out developing photonic chips for AI data centers, has announced £95 million in funding to scale production of optical circuit switches and expand its presence in Silicon Valley.
Photonics.comOptics industryOptics and AISalience Labs Raises $125 Million Series B to Develop Photonic Switching Chips for AI Data Centers
Salience Labs, which develops photonic chips for AI data center interconnects, has closed an oversubscribed $125 million Series B round. The company previously demonstrated a 64-port all-optical silicon photonic circuit switch live at ECOC 2026.
optics.org (SPIE Industry News)Optics industrySiloton Wins £8.4M from Innovate UK to Take GiraffeOCT into Clinical Use
Siloton will receive £8.4 million in funding from Innovate UK over two years to advance GiraffeOCT, its OCT technology based on quantum photonic integrated circuits, toward clinical use. The funding is expected to shorten the development timeline by about two years.